Colorado Matters

Tax proposals in the U.S. House and Senate would touch everything from benefits for homeowners to how many people have health insurance. A look at how Coloradans could be impacted. Then, the Colorado-based Native American Rights Fund represents tribes suing to block President Trump’s order to shrink Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. And, at 98, Aspen’s Klaus Obermeyer still runs the skiwear company he started in 1947.

Denver schools are mostly segregated along economic lines. Now, DPS is conducting an experiment to make schools more economically diverse. And, Stan Parker, of Colorado Springs, received two purple hearts in Vietnam. He was there in 1968 — the bloodiest time for U.S. troops. Years later, he returned to Vietnam, where he met a man he’d come close to killing.

There’s a place — in the heart of Denver — where injection drug users pick up clean needles and drop off dirty ones. It’s blocks away from the state Capitol, where lawmakers will continue to wrestle with Colorado’s drug epidemic. At this center, people also learn how to avoid overdosing — and keep their veins healthy. And, Ian Thompson lives in Colorado, but when Prince William married Kate Middleton in England seven years ago, he was right on the altar as a verger. Thompson explains his role and discusses the next royal wedding, occurring next spring.

The founder of a Colorado non-profit established to help Syrian refugees is now charged with theft and fraud. A Denver Post investigation revealed what happened to Boulder’s “Humanwire.” Then, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear the Colorado case of a baker who refused to customize a wedding cake for a gay couple. We’ll hear mock arguments. Plus, hunting for hallucinogenic honey.

The most vulnerable people in Denver’s jails should be treated better, says the civilian who oversees city law enforcement. This follows some high-profile deaths in custody, but the independent monitor says it’s not all on deputies. Then, the race to preserve open space on the Western Slope leads to a new alliance. And, a musician records his new album in the wilds of Utah. Plus, holiday fun that’s off the beaten path.

A Denver teacher says his future is at stake in a possible Congressional showdown over immigration next week. Then, award-winning Colorado author Connie Willis says science fiction Christmas stories go back all the way to Dickens. She’s written a new collection. And, taxidermists are busy fashioning hunting trophies for the holidays. Plus, there’s something new afloat at Denver’s holiday Parade of Lights.

We invited two Coloradans to the state Capitol to give Gov. John Hickenlooper their views on oil and gas drilling. One family says their quality of life will be compromised because of an oil well about 1,000 feet away from their new home. And a man whose family has depended on oil and gas royalties for generations is frustrated about efforts to restrict drilling.

No one found the joke funny when a Denver coffee shop bragged about gentrifying the neighborhood. Protests erupted and local politicians faced criticism. What happens now? Then, the U.S. is leaving the global climate agreement, so why was there such a big American presence at a UN conference in Germany this month? And, since Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy came out of the closet, he says athletes have changed how they talk about gay people.